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Kensei Muguruma
| image = | race = Soul | birthday = July 30''Bleach'' Official Character Book MASKED page 206 | gender = Male | height = 179 cm (5'10½") | weight = 75 kg (165 lbs.) | affiliation = Visored, Gotei 13, Soul Society | previous affiliation | profession = Shinigami (Visored) | position = Captain of the 9th Division | previous position | division = 9th Division | previous division = | partner = Shūhei Hisagi, Mashiro Kuna | previous partner = | base of operations = 9th Division HQ, Seireitei, Soul Society; formerly Visored Warehouse, Karakura Town, Human World | relatives = N/A | education = Shin'ō Academy | shikai = Tachikaze | bankai = Tekken Tachikaze | manga debut = Volume 24, Chapter 214 | anime debut = Episode 122 | video game debut = Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 | japanese voice = Tomokazu Sugita | english voice = Dave Mallow | spanish voice = }} is the captain of the 9th Division in the Gotei 13. He is also a Visored. Appearance Kensei is a tall, muscular man with sharp features, short light-gray/silver hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of the number "69" on his chest; the "6" represents his last name, "Muguruma," which uses the kanji for "6" in it, while the "9" represents the 9th Division, which he currently leads. He wears a dark purple A-shirt with a white trim, in addition to green cargo pants, black combat boots, and a pair of orange fingerless gloves. He also has a series of piercings, with one on his left eyebrow and three on his left ear. During his initial time as a captain, Kensei had longer front bangs, which hung over his face. He wore a sleeveless shihakushō that was open on the front, exposing his chest and tattoo, and tied it with a rope belt. He also wore a sleeveless haori and a pair of fingerless black gloves that covered most of his forearms. Seventeen months after Aizen's defeat, he returns to wearing this look, albeit with a less open shihakushō, a new metallic belt and mussed up hair.Bleach manga; Chapter 479, page 10 Personality Kensei is a serious and decisive individual, though he is easily annoyed and is rather temperamental, often to a fault. He is greatly annoyed by immaturity, evident when Orihime infiltrates the Visored's hideout and jokingly asks where the bathroom is; Kensei is noticeably annoyed, only calming down when Lisa Yadōmaru and Love Aikawa remind him that it was only a joke.Bleach manga; Chapter 225, page 13 He is most frequently irritated by Mashiro's childish behavior, once noting that she has the uncanny ability to aggravate him even when she is asleep. His aggressive behavior is particularly noticeable in combat. At one point, he confesses that he is not mature enough to hold back, even against a child. Despite this, Kensei is at times a caring individual, though his attempts at being kind are often offset by his aggression. This is displayed when he tries to cheer up a young, tearful Hisagi, albeit in a manner reminiscent of a military drill sergeant. History Plot Arrancar arc Fake Karakura Town arc Kensei arrives at the Fake Karakura Town with the rest of the Visored, intercepting Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen's release from Yamamoto's fire prison.Bleach manga; Chapter 364, pages 19-20 When Shinji asks his fellow Visored if they have anyone in the Gotei 13 that they would like to speak to, Kensei states that he doesn't care.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 5-6 When Shinji returns from his talk with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the huge Hollow creature spews a large horde of Gillian-class Menos from its mouth. Kensei is among the Visored when they put on their masks to prepare for battle.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 16-19 Kensei stands ready for battle as the other Visored draw their Zanpakutō and attack the Gillians.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, pages 2-3 Kensei demonstrates his increased power when he uses a flurry of punches to smash a Gillian's mask, causing the Hollow to explode. When another Gillian attempts to attack him from behind, he stabs its mask with Tachikaze and uses its special ability to blow off its head.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, pages 7-9 Kensei brings down several more of the Gillians with his hand-to-hand combat skills. When he kills the last one, Mashiro complains that she had wanted to kill it. Kensei tells her to stop whining, saying that she can have the big one so that she would stop complaining.Bleach manga; Chapter 367, pages 10-11 While Mashiro is distracted, Wonderweiss recovers from his fight with her. Kensei yells at her, trying to warn her, but Mashiro responds that she is already aware before kicking Wonderweiss’ face, sending him flying blocks into various buildings. Kensei warns her that fighting an opponent of Wonderweiss’ level will quickly exhaust her, and that she should take off her mask before her time limit expires. However, Mashiro tells Kensei that he is dumb, reminding him that she can keep her mask on for 15 hours straight, and that she could keep it on all night. She continues her fight with Wonderweiss, but quickly loses the upper hand when her Hollow mask shatters. Wonderweiss takes this opportunity to land several punches to her face, but before he can continue, Kensei stops his hand, having grabbed Mashiro. He apologizes to Wonderweiss for not being the sort of adult who goes easy on kids.Bleach manga; Chapter 376, pages 10-19 He then throws him down into the buildings below. Kensei lands on a nearby building and lays down Mashiro, who weakly asks if he is going to avenge her as she smiles. He looks down at her and asks her what she is smiling at, noting that she is a dumbass for ending up the way she is, and that she could have avoided it if she had listened to his warnings. He then takes Tachikaze’s Shikai out of his pants pocket and states that he is going to give Wonderweiss a taste of his fists, not to avenge Mashiro, but because the brat got above himself. As Wonderweiss approaches him, Kensei releases his Bankai and the two clash, causing a huge explosion.Bleach manga; Chapter 377, pages 2-5 Wonderweiss later intervenes in Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's fight with Sōsuke Aizen, having finished his battle with Kensei, leaving his fate unknown.Bleach manga; Chapter 393, page 16 The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc At some point after Aizen's defeat, Kensei returns to Soul Society, where he regains his position as captain of the Ninth Division. He greets Ichigo on his way into the captains' meeting place, and Ichigo is surprised to see him as a captain. Kensei tells him to shut up and orders him to enter the room, telling the Substitute Shinigami he wasn't just there to chat. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc Kensei attends a captain meeting where he is informed about Wandenreich's infiltration and is ordered to prepare for war alongside other captains.Bleach manga; Chapter 488, pages 10-14 After the Wandenreich invade Seireitei, Kensei receives word from Rangiku Matsumoto that the enemy has the ability to steal Bankai.Bleach manga; Chapter 497, page 6 Some point afterwards, Kensei and several other members of the Gotei 13 are surprised to sense Yamamoto enter the front lines as their Captain-Commander's Reiatsu resonates throughout Seireitei.Bleach manga; Chapter 505, page 7 Kensei and other members of the Gotei 13 are then further surprised to sense Ichigo Kurosaki finally enter Soul Society.Bleach manga; Chapter 512, page 5 Soon after the Wandenreich leave Soul Society, Kensei meets with several other captains and listens as Ukitake states that they could not find the Captain-Commander's body. As Suì-Fēng angrily reacts to more bad news, Kensei berates her for her attitude, to which she states he's only calm because he disliked Yamamoto, angering him until the situation is calmed down by Shunsui.Bleach manga; Chapter 515, pages 12-17 Kensei and the other captains later gather outside Seireitei to witness the arrival of the Royal Guard.Bleach manga; Chapter 516, page 12 Some time after the Wandenreich attack, Kensei takes his lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi out into the forest outside the Seireitei. Telling him he wants Hisagi to use his Bankai, Kensei states this time his Bankai was not stolen, but no one knows what will happen next time, and the Gotei 13 needs more Bankai users. As Co-Lieutenant Mashiro Kuna jumps down from the trees in front of Hisagi, Kensei, commanding her to Hollowfy, warns Hisagi to be careful, for Mashiro is strong when she is wearing a mask, and unless he wants to die, he had better use a Bankai. As Hisagi, protesting, states he cannot just suddenly become capable of using Bankai, Mashiro, ignoring him, punches him in the chest, stating the lieutenant should not disobey the "super" lieutenant, showing off her badge of her superior lieutenant ranking. Telling Hisagi he told him to be careful, Kensei asks him if he thinks he will not kill him, seeing as he is not as gentle as Kaname Tōsen. Asking his captain to wait, Hisagi explains he has always looked up to him and respected him, but he has no right to badmouth his former captain Tōsen, prompting Kensei to glare at him in surprise.Bleach manga; Chapter 538, pages 11-14 Powers & Abilities Master Swordsman: Despite its small size, Kensei is able to effectively use Tachikaze’s Shikai to inflict lethal strikes even in close quarters combat, as shown by his ability to hold off Ichigo's Hollowfied form while it was using its Bankai. Bleach anime; Episode 124 Hakuda Master: Kensei often prefers to utilize his hand-to-hand capabilities, despite his impressive swordsmanship skills. He has, however, shown himself able to effectively use both skills in unison. During Ichigo's transformation into a Hollow, Kensei is able to knock him a good distance away with just an elbow strike.Bleach manga; Chapter 219, page 15 He was then able to dodge all of Hollowfied Ichigo's attacks, despite the latter's use of Tensa Zangetsu, and manages to kick him. While fighting a large group of Gillian-class Menos, he destroys several of them with his fists alone.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, page 7''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 367, page 10 * :Bleach Official Character Book UNMASKED; page 152 A technique where Kensei delivers multiple strikes at an extremely fast rate, causing aggravated damage to a target. The technique is powerful enough to not only shatter a Menos Grande's mask, but utterly destroy its body as well.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, pages 8-9 Enhanced Strength: It is implied that he possesses great strength, even before his Hollowfication.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, page 7 During his fight with Wonderweiss, Kensei is able to block the Arrancar's powerful punch and hurl him a great distance with considerable force, achieving both feats with only a single hand.Bleach anime; Episode 285 Highly Perceptive Combatant: Despite his short-tempered nature, Kensei is a very perceptive fighter. He is knowledgeable of the abilities that Hollows possess, and knows how to counter them to gain the upper hand.Bleach manga; Chapters 219-220 Great Spiritual Power: Being a captain, Kensei possesses a great amount of spiritual power. As a Visored, Kensei has a dual spiritual pressure of part-Shinigami, part-Hollow. Shunpo Expert: As a captain of the Gotei 13, Kensei is proficient in Shunpo. During the Fake Karakura Town battle, Kensei is able to reach Mashiro in time to save her from Wonderweiss.Bleach anime; Episode 285 Zanpakutō : When sealed, it takes the form of a wakizashi, with an H-shaped tsuba, white weaving around its hilt, and a black sheath. *'Shikai': Kensei's Shikai is triggered by the command . When released, air currents swirl around Kensei, and then around Tachikaze. It then transforms into a combat knife with a bronze guard, light purple hilt-wrapping in the center of the hilt, a gray leather grip, and a small ring on the guard's blunt side.Bleach manga; Chapter -104, page 15 As a Shinigami, he wore it at his waist in its sealed form. As a Visored, he commonly keeps it in this released form and stores it in one of his pants pockets. :Shikai Special Ability: In this form, Kensei has demonstrated the ability to manipulate wind and energy.Bleach anime; Episode 209 :*'Air Blades': By slashing at the air, Kensei can release transparent blades of wind which cut enemies from a distance. They appear to be extremely powerful, easily killing a giant Hollow by cutting it into pieces.Bleach anime; Episode 219''Bleach'' manga; Chapter -104, pages 14-15(Unnamed) :* : Kensei charges Tachikaze, which begins to glow with spiritual energy, until it takes the shape of a glowing orb. He then fires it as an energy blast with extreme force. This blast is quite devastating, as it was able to blow off the arm of Ichigo's Hollow form, and in another case, the heads of Gillian-class Menos.Bleach manga; Chapter 220, pages 3-5 He later uses it to destroy a Menos Grande simply by using the ability while impaling the mask of the Hollow with the blade of Tachikaze. The effect is the same, completely blowing up the head of the Hollow.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, pages 9-10 *'Bankai': : When released, an explosion of wind erupts around Kensei, and when it disperses, Tachikaze transforms from a single combat knife into a pair of large knuckle blades that Kensei holds in each hand. Both blades have a curved silver edge, which tapers off to an outward point on either side. Segmented purple bands wrap around the entirety of his arms, much like armor, while a thicker purple band arches behind him, over his head, with its ends protruding from under his shoulders.Bleach manga; Chapter 377, pages 4-5 :Bankai Special Ability: It appears to greatly augment his strength, as he is able to create a large explosion upon attacking Wonderweiss.Bleach manga; Chapter 377, page 6 Hollowfication Hollow Mask: His Hollow mask resembles a flat hockey face guard, with six slitted eye holes arranged in two columns. It has three extensions on either side which cover the sides and back of his head.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, page 19 :Power Augmentation: While wearing the mask, Kensei's Hollow powers supplement his Shinigami powers, giving him a vast increase in strength, durability and speed. :*'Enhanced Strength': With his mask on, Kensei's strength is greatly enhanced, as he was able to easily smash a Menos' mask using only his fists. :*'Enhanced Speed': With his mask on, Kensei's speed increases greatly, as he is able to deliver a rapid barrage of punches to a Menos Grande, effectively killing it. Hollowfied Form: When transformed into a Hollow, he is a large, muscular and bulky humanoid with armored hands and skeletal feet, with a number of thick cylindrical protrusions on his back and forearms. The cylinders on his back seem to make him hunch over.Bleach manga; Chapter -102, page 19 *'Enhanced Strength': In terms of physical might, Kensei's Hollow form possessed vast strength, evident from his ability to effortlessly punch massive craters into the ground.Bleach manga; Chapter -102, page 16''Bleach'' anime; Episode 210 He was able to break out of a level 63 Bakudō using brute strength alone, a feat that is supposed to be impossible.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, pages 16-17 *'Enhanced Speed': His speed was drastically increased, to the point of him being able to take his fellow captains by surprise when he attacked them.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, page 5 *'Enhanced Durability': He was able to block a sword blow from Love in this form with only one arm.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, pages 6-7 *'Energized Punches': He is able to sheath his fists with spiritual energy, increasing the amount of damage that his punches inflict.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, page 6 Appearances in Other Media Kensei appears as a playable character in the Bleach: Heat the Soul series, particularly Bleach: Heat the Soul 4, 5, 6, and 7. In Bleach: Heat the Soul 6, Kensei can use an energy sphere as a tag-team attack for him and his lieutenant, Mashiro, in which he blasts the opponent with it while trying to stop Mashiro from annoying him. In Bleach: Heat the Soul 7, he utilizes his Bankai, Tekken Tachikaze, as one of his attacks, in which he uppercuts his opponent with one of his knuckle blades, and it creates an explosion upon impact. Trivia *During Ichigo's Hollow training, Tachikaze has a black hilt. Later in the Fake Karakura Town arc, the hilt is light gray and purple. Quotes * (To a young Shūhei Hisagi) "You're alive! You should be happy! So smile!"Bleach manga; Chapter -104, page 17 * (To Wonderweiss Margela) "Sorry, brat. I'm not mature enough to hold back just 'cause you're a kid!"Bleach manga; Chapter 376, page 19 References Titles Navigation de:Kensei Muguruma es:Kensei Muguruma Category:Characters Category:Shinigami captains Category:Shinigami Category:Male Category:Visored Category:9th Division Category:Gotei 13 Category:Master Swordsmen Category:Hakuda Masters Category:Shunpo Experts